


Stray

by Ayantiel



Series: Cat/Rio/Tyrvar Worldstate [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Gen, Nighean POV, Post-DA2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 12:09:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14308332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayantiel/pseuds/Ayantiel
Summary: Nighean and Cadogan had been traveling around, chasing down leads on a cure for the Blight when they hear rumours of what happened in Kirkwall. More importantly Cadogan seems to know who those rumours talk about.orNighean meets Anders and Cadogan learns what happened to two of his friends from Amaranthine.





	Stray

**Author's Note:**

> in my 'canon' Cadogan and Nighean were both recruited and fought the arch-demon together. Cadogan is Warden-Commander and Nighean never went to Amaranthine so she doesn't know Anders. Basically i split the post-campaign dlc between them, Cat got Vigil's Keep, Nighean got Witch Hunt cause she was better buds with Morrigan but also less likely to put up with her bullshit.
> 
> tl;dr Cat knows Anders, Nighean does not.  
> \--
> 
> written in answer for a prompt on the Bananas for Thedas discord server. As per usual a big thank you to those lovelies for always encouraging and inspiring me <3

When they first heard rumours of what happened in Kirkwall Nighean and Cadogan had been investigating a lead in the northern coastlands of Ferelden, near Cadogan's childhood home. Cadogan had already been... weird about being so close to Highever, and Nighean understood that, she really did. She also had hang ups about visiting Denerim's alienage. It was home and it was not. But Andraste's sweaty fucking knickers, did he have to be such a fragile flower about it?

These were the days she really missed having Zevran around. He would have been able to get Cat out his gloomy slump. She also missed Leliana of course, but as much as Nighean loved her, she'd be far too bloody sympathetic towards Cat's sad puppy eyes and really the bloke just needed a good lay and he'd feel better. Nighean was sure.

They initially didn't pay the rumours about Kirkwall much mind - they had their own investigation to focus on if they wanted to find a cure after all. But then they overheard a snippet of a conversation.

"... fucking insane he was. Did you hear he used to be a Warden?"

Nighean caught Cat's eyes and they shared a look.

"One o' yours?" She muttered. Cadogan shrugged.

The conversation continued on.

"Wasn't that the Champion's brother? I heard he was a Warden."

"Yeah I heard that too."

"Nah that Hawke wasn't a mage far as I know."

A name. Nighean looked back at Cadogan.

"Ring a bell?" she asked.

"I met him, briefly," Cat answered, "good lad, if a bit... acrimonious"

Nighean smirked. "That your way of saying he was a cunt?"

Cat sighed in that same way the Elder of the alienage used to; like he was trying very hard to not roll his eyes nor smile at her antics.

"That's my way of saying he reminded me of you after your Joining."

"Thanks asshole," she said with a grin.

\---

They paid more attentions to the rumours coming out of Kirkwall after that. In the next tavern they learned it was a bit more than just some political upheaval that had initially thought. Apparently the city's chantry had been blown up, there might've been qunari involved? And the local circle had nearly been annulled by a knight-commander gone insane. All in all, the city had burned.

"That sound like of yours?" Nighean asked again.

Cadogan seemed lost in thought for a moment, until Nighean got impatient and nudged him.

"Oi, out with it. Who's on your mind?"

"There's one who fits some of the descriptions we've heard -- recruited him in Amaranthine when that whole disaster was going down-- but... I can't imagine he would do something like that. He wasn't a fan of the Circle by any means, but he wouldn't... No..."

\---

Turned out... he would.

The more they heard, the more certain Nighean became that Cat knew this man, and the sadder her friend looked. Damnit. 

They found him in an alleyway of a backwater town in South Reach, sharing scraps with stray cats of all things. But apparently Cadogan was not surprised to find him there.  
When the man noticed their presence he first tensed, looking for all the world like the feral cats he'd been feeding. His cheeks were sunken in with hunger, his eyes darkened with exhaustion, yet wide with fear of a caged animal.

Then he saw Cat's face. Recgonised him. And he just... froze.

Nighean held back and watched Cadogan. This was his recruit. His friend. His responsibility. She'd follow his lead.

"Oh Anders..."

Nighean didn't know who this Anders was, but she wanted to punch him for putting that much sadness in her friend's voice.

The man, Anders, seemed to withdraw in on himself, radiating a defensiveness and shame in equal measure.

"Cat..." he croaked, voice raw from disuse.

There was something in his eyes, in his voice, that seemed to give Cadogan pause.

"Ah," he said. "Hello Justice. It's been some time."


End file.
